ATLANTA — A small but determined effort is under way to convince Gov. Nathan Deal to veto legislation that would protect the red drum, or redfish, from commercial fishing.

However, a representative of the Coastal Conservation Association said Thursday its members are confident Deal will sign House Bill 36 into law. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, prohibits commercial harvesting by declaring the species a game fish.

Robert Morrissey, known around Savannah as Capt. Bob, wrote Deal requesting a veto and urging the Department of Natural Resources to set a smaller daily limit instead.

“Gov. Deal, you can do more with one stroke of your pen to protect the redfish from overfishing,” Morrissey wrote. “As chief executive officer for the state of Georgia, order the DNR to reduce the daily creel limit from five to three fish per day.”

The Conservation Association pushed for the game-fish designation to preserve a fish that’s popular with sportsmen for the way it fights when caught. The 1,800-member organization argues that the economic impact of tourism is greater than the few hundred pounds of fish sold commercially each year.

“The economic impact of House Bill 36 is going to be felt for quite some time,” said Jeff Young, the association’s government-relations chairman.

Morrissey characterizes the debate in class terms. Most of the buyers are low-income blacks who can’t afford to charter fishing boats, he said. He argues there would have been more public testimony against the bill if consumers had had greater warning.

“However, those in favor of it received plenty of advanced notice. Witness the reams of letters arguing for it sent by the CCA to the representatives,” he said.

The DNR’s Coastal Resources Division didn’t ask to protect the red drum, because its data suggests there isn’t much commercial harvesting anyway with fewer than three wholesalers marketing it.

“Right now, what’s reported to use if very minimal and we think that size of the fishery is minimal in the state,” said Spud Woodward, director of the Coastal Resources Division.

Observers speculate there is a sizable black market in the fish, which became popularized in restaurants as a Cajun specialty of blacked redfish. But they could be buying farm-raised fish from other states.

A spokeswoman for Deal said he is not ready to make a statement on the bill. He has until May 7 to sign it or veto before it becomes law automatically.